Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention is directed generally to telephone network service and, more particularly, to a method for providing certain telecommunications dialing features for commercial classes of dedicated telephone service.
2. Description of the Background
Telephone service companies typically provide enhanced telecommunications dialing features to residential and certain limited classes of business customers. These dialing features include call waiting, speed dialing, call return (*69), etc. These features are sometimes referred to as Touchstar(copyright) features, a registered service mark of BellSouth Corporation, Atlanta Ga. Residential and certain limited business customers may access the various dialing features by dialing a feature code specific to the desired feature. For example, a residential customer wishing to use the call return feature may dial, for example, *69, on a telephone using touch tone signaling, whereupon the customer may hear an announcement of the telephone number of the last incoming caller. Additionally, the customer may be presented with the option of calling back the directory number associated with the last incoming caller by dialing another feature code. Thus, residential and certain limited business customers may use the automatic recall service to screen calls or when the customer is unable to answer a call before the calling party hangs up. The feature may also be used when the customer does not know the directory number of the caller, but wishes to call back the calling party.
Such enhanced telecommunications dialing features, however, are not available for some commercial classes of service. Specifically, those features are not available for commercial classes of dedicated telephone service. Accordingly, there exists a need for a method for providing such enhanced telecommunications dialing services for commercial classes of dedicated telephone service.
The present invention is directed to a method, such as a method for doing business, of providing telecommunications dialing features for commercial classes of dedicated telephone service. The dialing features may be offered on dedicated phone lines such as a T-1 trunk circuit or a dedicated DS1 line. The method may also include charging a customer fee for providing the telecommunications dialing features for commercial classes of dedicated telephone service.
The present invention represents an advancement over the prior art by providing enhanced telecommunications dialing features for commercial classes of dedicated telephone service. These and other benefits and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description of the invention hereinbelow.